Life Day 21347: Las Vegas Lassitude
December 22, 2005 on 7:34 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsI awoke on the 18th to another ice storm caused by low clouds and drizzle. It was a total mess. I left Amarillo at about 0815. It took me over 3 hours to drive 50 miles. The roads were a solid sheet of ice. I couldn’t begin to count the number of accidents I saw as I “slid” towards Dumas, TX. I had to use every trick I knew to maintain traction (driving on the ‘rumble strip, engaging both drive axles, dropping the air in my air-bags, keeping my RPM’s below 1200). The roads finally began to improve as I entered Oklahoma, and by the time I reached southeastern Colorado, I was able to resume safely driving at the speed limit. I stopped in Lamar, CO and took a nice long break. It’s always the same whenever there are ‘winter driving conditions’ in Texas. They refuse to sand & salt the roads. Geeeze, it’s not like they couldn’t find a little bit of extra sand in Texas! I left at 1600 and drove on to Pueblo, CO where I did the drop delivery, drove the 1/2 mile to our Terminal, and called it a day. The MMM were chagrined to discover that Security was out of ‘doggie treats’. They expect to get one whenever we are here.
I took the 19th off so I could re-start my 70-hour clock. I will have accumulated the necessary 34 consecutive hours off at 0800 in the AM. The weather is much improved. All the YUK from yesterday is history. My 2006 permits are in Salt Lake City, so I asked my DM to “overnight” them to the Pueblo terminal just in case I don’t get back through SLC before the first of the year. I don’t want to have to stop again just because I don’t have my Permits. I then went into town and got a room at the Ramada Inn. I need to get out of the truck for a while. I then decided to defragment my computer. Geeze, 12 hours later, I was finally done with that process. I basically watched the Food Channel all day.
The MMM had a relaxing day too.
On the 20th, I checked out of the motel, and drove back to the terminal. My Permits arrived at about 1130. The Planner offered me a load which picked up in Pueblo, CO and delivered in Salt Lake City, UT (0 miles empty and 568 miles loaded). The load was ready at 1300 and I left the Customer at 1330. I didn’t get too far though. As I was driving through town, I noticed smoke coming from the right rear of the trailer. (Ref: Shop ‘Til I Drop on this BLOG). As it turned out, my day was over. I drove less than 20 miles total and worked 5.5 hours for the day, 5 of which were shop time.
On the 21st, with all maintenance woes hopefully behind me, I left Pueblo at 0515. I drove to Montrose, CO and took a break. The worst part of the drive (10,000 ft + Monarch Pass) is behind me and the weather is nice. I did encounter a little fog and some single digit temperatures, but it was nothing to get excited about. I left at 1030 and drove to Wellington, UT. At 1430 I left and drove to the Customer in SLC. I arrived over an hour before my scheduled appointment of 1830. I was informed that they would not be able to unload me until 2300. I settled in to wait. While I was waiting, I recieved a Pre-Plan that picks up in West Valley, UT and delivers in Vegas (9 miles empty and 421 miles loaded). Naturally, I accepted it. After I was unloaded, I drove to our terminal and went to bed. I drove 572 miles in 10.25 hours and worked a total of 10.75 hours.
Today, the 22nd, I picked up the load, fueled, and was almost ready to leave, when I was asked to give another driver (a student actually) a ride to Las Vegas. I said i’d wait for him and drop him off. I finally left at 1100. I drove to the MMM’s favorite rest area for a break, then drove to Las Vegas. I dropped the driver at the Pilot truckstop, then decided to call it a day. The load delivers at 0600 tomorrow. After the delivery, I plan to ‘totally veg’ and ‘geek’ for the rest of the Yule.
“Shop” ‘Til I Drop
December 22, 2005 on 7:30 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsOn the 19th, I somehow managed to lock my keys in the truck. I had driven to dinner at Black-eyed Pea restaurant, and when I went to get in my truck after dinner, I made the discovery. Fortunately, Swift has a shop here at the terminal, so I called them to come rescue me. I had to wait about a half hour in the cold, but other than that, I was just embarrassed. After the rescue, I went back to the Ramada and went to bed.
On the 20th, I left Pueblo at 1330. I didn’t get too far though. As I was driving through town, I noticed smoke coming from the right rear of my trailer. I stopped to check it out and found that the bearings were seized. I, once again, called the shop. This time I had to wait well over an hour for the shop to come to the rescue. The service truck was not equipped to replace and press bearings (no surprise), so the mechanic had to jack the trailer, pull the wheels, then chain the axle so that it wouldn’t drag. I then drove back to the terminal (at about 20 MPH). By the time we arrived, it was after 1800. I asked the foreman how long it would take for the repairs. He said that it would be about 4 hours to complete all the repairs. I then went in to Dispatch and informed them of the problem. They left me on the load, but I said that because it was going to be so late before the trailer was ready, I was going to go to get some rest before leaving. The load doesn’t deliver until 1830 tomorrow in SLC, so I can leave at 0500 and still make the delivery on time. These are ‘time sensative’ loads, and on-time delivery is crutial. About 2230, the trailer was ready, and I pulled it out of the shop and went to bed.
Life Day 21342: Amarillo Aberration
December 17, 2005 on 10:04 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsI finished the drive to Stone Mountain (Atlanta) on the 15th, arriving at about 1700. I drove directly to the Consignee, but was told, as expected, that I couldn’t deliver until 0500, and that I couldn’t sleep there. I found a Sam’s Club about a mile away and went to bed after a final MMM walk. The weather was just fine.
Boy, was I wrong about the ice storm. I awoke on the 16th at 0430, walked the MMM, then drove back to the Customer. I tuned to a local AM radio station and was surprised to hear that all of the major freeways were backed up for miles, or closed due to black ice. They were even talking about school closures or delayed openings. The surface streets where I was were fine. The problem was mainly on bridges, overpasses, and shady areas, but it was a mess. According to the radio weather gurus, fog rolled in about 0300 local time, then froze just in time for the AM commute. There were, naturally, numerous fender-benders. Anyway, I did the drop/hook delivery, then drove back to Sam’s Club to wait. I wanted to drive to our Terminal in Decatur (about 15 miles away) to fuel, but I had no intention of jepardizing my life by venturing onto I-285 with all the imbeciles out there crashing into each other. I waited about an hour until the temperature rose above 32 degrees and the traffic died down, then drove to the Terminal. The traffic had thinned by then, and the roads were relatively clear. The Planner offered me a load which picked up in Ellenwood, GA and delivers in Pueblo, CO (23 miles empty and 1355 miles loaded). I accepted it and left Decatur about 0800. I did the drop/hook pick-up and left Ellenwood at about 1100. (I had to wait a couple of hours for the load to be ready). I drove to Birmingham, AL. Traffic was heavy, but not due to weather or vehicular mayhem. Just TMV (too many vehicles). I stopped at the Pilot Truckstop for lunch, then departed about 1500. About 25 miles from Birmingham on US-78, I saw a major accident at an intersection. It wasn’t effecting my lanes, but there was the usual “lookie-loo” slowdown. The police were directing traffic, and I was waved through without stopping. I try to avoid being a “lookie-loo” myself, but as I went through the intersection I saw that there were at least 3 vehicles involved, one completely demolished. There were about 7 Emergency vehices there too. I did not see enough to even speculate as to the cause. I’m glad that I wasn’t going east. Traffic was backed up for 7 miles in that direction. I drove to Memphis, TN where I stopped for the night. I worked 7.75 hours driving 410 miles in 7 hours.
On the 17th, I left Memphis at 0515. I drove completely across Arkansas and stopped in Roland, OK. I left there at 1115 and drove to our terminal in Oklahoma City. I fueled and walked the MMM here. I left at 1500 and drove to Amarillo, TX where I stopped for the night. No untoward weather except some rain, but it will probably turn to snow later. It’s cold enough. I did see another accident between Roland and OKC. For no apparant reason, a truck in the right lane was rear-ended by another truck, then the 2nd truck was rear-ended by another truck. Don’t ask me how or why!! Anyway, it caused no delays.
Life Day 21340: Tallulah Tidbits
December 15, 2005 on 8:45 am | In On The Road | No CommentsContinuing with the daily grind. On the 12th, I delivered the load to Mira Loma after taking a little time off at home (barely enough to re-start my 70-hour clock). It took longer than expected to unloaded there, so it put me behind schedule on the pick-ups for the load to Stone Mountain, GA. I didn’t arrive at the first Shipper in Redlands until 1330. The appointment was for noon, but having called ahead, they were expecting it. It took an hour to load and I left there at 1445 and drove to the second pick-up in Ontario. I arrived there 1515. I checked in and was given a door. By the time I got back into the Shipping Office after backing into the dock, I was loaded. There were only 2 pallets for this stop. I left at 1600 and drove to Ehrenberg, AZ. This was another “border stop”. A quick MMM walk and I was off to Phoenix, AZ where I stopoped for the night (that pesky 14-hour rule). I worked 10.75 hours, using 8 hours to drive 411 miles.
On the 13th, I left Phoenix at 0900. I drove to Wilcox, AZ where I had lunch and walked the MMM. I left there at 1430 and drove to El Paso, TX. I took an hour break here, then drove to Pecos, TX where I stopped for the night. I worked 10.5 hours using 10.25 driving 632 miles. It’s nice to be out of California where I can make some progress.
On the 14th, I left Pecos at 1100 I drove to Tye, TX (just west of Abilene). I took a half hour here then drove to our Terminal in Lancaster, TX where I fueled and walked the MMM. I left here at 1915 and drove into Louisiana to a Rest Area at MM-95 on I-20 eastbound. I stopped here for the night because I was out of hours (11-hour rule). I worked 11.5 hours utilizing 11 of them driving 680 miles.
On the 15th, I am progressing nicely on the load to Stone Mountain GA. Currently, i’m taking a break in Tallulah, LA. I should arrive in the Atlanta/Stone Mountain area tonight, barring any inclement weather. There is an ice storm in the region, but I don’t think it will get this far south. I won’t be able to deliver until tomorrow AM because the Customer is only open until 1700. I won’t arrive until later. I’ll lay-up somewhere close for the night.
Life Day 21336: The Chronicles Continue
December 11, 2005 on 8:16 am | In On The Road | No CommentsI have been remiss with my daily diary for far too long, so now the chronicles continue:
On the 21st, I left Sayre at 1000 and drove to Plainview, TX. I did the drop/hook delivery without a glitch at 1330. The freight was slow in the panhandle area of Texas, especially when I had a specific destination in mind. The Planner offered a load which picked up in Plainview, but not until the 22nd. I accepted it because it was going to Hayward, CA (o miles empty and 1376 miles loaded) delivering on the 29th at noon. There was little else I could do to get to the Bay Area of California for Thanksgiving. I called the Shipper to ask if I could get the load today, but alas, that was not possible. I settled in at the local truckstop for the day. I drove 215 miles and worked a total of 4 hours.
On the 22nd, I arrived at the Shipper at 0830. It was a ‘live’ load and I got a door at 0930. I left Plainview at 1100 and drove to our Terminal in Albuquerque for fuel and a break. At 1500, I left and drove to Flagstaff, AZ arriving at 1030. I stopped for the night because of the 14-hour rule and the 11-hour rule as well. I felt like I could drive somemore, but I resisted the impulse. I worked 12.5 hours driving 668 miles in 11 hours of driving.
The 23rd, I left Flagstaff at 0845 and drove to Kingman, AZ for fuel, breakfast and a MMM break. I left there at 1145 and drove to Lake Havasu City. This 15-minute stop was strictly for Logging purposes due to the Speed Limit change between Arizona and California. California DOT thinks that all miles driven should be logged at 50 MPH or less, regardless of the Speed Limits in other States you have driven in on that particular leg of your trip.
Example: Leaving Kingman, AZ and driving to Barstow, CA; there are 53 miles in Arizona (from the Flying J truckstop where I always stop) which can be Logged at 60 to 63 MPH, and then 156 miles from the AZ/CA border to Barstow which, according to the California DOT, must be Logged at 50 MPH. Since there is no way for them to determine exactly when you crossed the border, they deem that ALL of the miles driven (a total of 209 in this example) on that leg will be logged at 50 MPH. At that rate, you would have to Log 4.25 hours to be legal by their standards. By showing a stop at or near the border (Lake Havasu City in this case), you can Log part of the miles (44 miles from Kingman to Lake Havasu City) at the higher rate of speed (.75 hours), then the rest of the miles (165 miles in this case) at 50 MPH or 3.25 hours (with a ‘fudge factor’) for a total of 4 hours. It saves you .25 hours, which, if you drive like I do, can certainly be used later. Those .25’s add up at the end of the week. I use this system whenever it is to my advantage. It works equally as well in Illinois, Ohio, etc, wherever there is a difference between the Speed Limits of 2 States through which you will be traveling.
So, whenever possible, I stop at a “border” town before I get to California to show a clear delineation between the States. Anyway, I drove to Barstow, where I took another short break for the MMM. I left Barstow at 1630 and drove to Bakersfield, CA (where I mis-spent my youth). Because I was anxious to get to our Terminal in Lathrop, CA, I only took a short break here this time. Usually, I stop at my all-time favorite Chinese restaurant (Bill Lee’s Bamboo Chopsticks) for dinner, then go to Dewars Ice Cream shop for a Pepermint Stick ice cream cone and some “chews” (taffy). They are ‘pricy’, but absolutely delicious. My favorites are the Peppermint, the Peanut Butter, and the Caramel. YUM YUM!!! I digress, I left Bakersfield at 1930 and drove to Lost Hills, CA where I stopped for the night. I worked 10 hours today using 9.5 of those to drive 508 miles.
The 24th (Thanksgiving Day), I left Lost Hills at 0715 and drove to our Terminal in lathrop, CA. Again, anxiousness prevented me from stopping in Santa Nella at Pea Soup Andersons for a bowl of the ‘worlds best’ Split Pea soup as I usually do. When I arrived at the Terminal, I expected it to be crowded, but serendipitiosly, just as I entered, another driver vacated a ‘primo’ parking spot in the 1st row ‘pole position’. I grabbed it, dropped my trailer, then bob-tailed to Palo Alto, Ca for a visit with my brother. I arrived shortly after noon. AHHH VACATION!! The MMM were gleeful to arrive as previously mentioned in the posting “Searching for Squirrels”.
The remainder of the 24th through the 28th were spent in leisure. By leisure, I mean doing absolutely nothing that I didn’t want to do. I normally assume the ‘cooking duties’ as soon as I arrive, but I don’t consider cooking as work. This time, however, my brother had a crock-pot full of saurkraut, potatoes, pork roast and Italian sausage already on. I had a snack to tide me over until the rest of the guests arrived at 1900 for dinner. With the aroma of the pork & saurkraut wafting through my olfactory synapses, I began some of the preparations for our actual Thanksgiving dinner which we had on Friday, the 25th. This entailed boiling 2 dozen eggs for my ‘world-class’ deviled eggs, making 3 pies (1 apple, 1 apple/mince, and 1 cranberry/pear) and 1 tart (a serendipitous mis-calculation in the amount of cranberry/pear pie filling: there are never any mistakes when I cook), and ’slicing & dicing’ a variety of vegetables. After dinner, I brought in my computer and began “geeking”, and finished the ‘prep’ for Thanklsgiving dinner tomorrow. My brother and I split the tart after everyone else had gone to bed (merely to try the previously untried cranberry/pear pie filling, you understand). :>}
On Friday, we had our Thanksgiving dinner at about 1400. With most of the ‘grunt work’ already done, I had little to do except warm the pre-cooked Turkey, make the deviled eggs, stuff the celery (I made 3 varieties of this: peanut butter, pimento cheese, and “old English” cheese), boil the potatoes for my ‘lumpless’ mashed potatoes, and cook the peas & pearl onions for my delicious ‘creamed peas’. My sister-in-law, Lou, made a delicious Spinach and fruit salad with a blackberry wine vinigarette dressing. Dinner went well. The MMM were well behaved and had lots of ‘goodies’ on all the plates after dinner which they enjoyed immensely. Pie came later. Then relaxing and ‘geeking’. Then ‘grazing’ through the left-overs. Then more ‘geeking’. Then more pie. You know the routine.
On Saturday, I made my delicious sausage gravy and biscuits for breakfast. What makes it so delicious is that I use a full pound of lean sausage, for about 4 cups of gravy (I never measure precisely), bacon grease as a suplement to the sausage grease in the basis for my roux, and at the very end, I stir in just an essence of shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 1/4 cup). For dinner, we just randomly grazed the left-overs. The rest of the day was spent, you guessed it, relaxing and ‘geeking’.
On Sunday, aside from ‘geeking’ and watching TV, I made baked-potato soup for dinner. That’s pretty much it for today.
On Monday, I went to Fry’s Electronics (much to the chagrin of my sister-in-law, only a couple of blocks from my brother’s house) to purchase some ‘geeking’ stuff. I bought Roxio’s Easy CD Creator, an extention cable for my USB port, some CD storage sleeves, and some blank discs (both CD and DVD). Then we went to Home Depot to purchase the necessary paraphernalia to make Walter’s step (see Walter Steps Up on this BLOG). I began the “back-up” craze by putting all of my photographs onto a CD. Then I began the, now infamous, back-up of my music files. I made Chicken Fried Chicken for dinner, with boiled potatoes and sour-cream green beans (frozen green beans, sour-cream, crumpled bacon, and slivered almonds).
Alas, all good things must come to an end. On Tuesday, the 29th, I left my brother’s house and drove back to Lathrop, picked up my trailer, and drove to the Consignee in Hayward, CA. I arrived at 1215 for the 1300 appointment. I was assigned a door at 1300, and was unloaded by 1330. At about 1500, I finally recieved a PrePlan, but it wasn’t much. The load picked up in Hayward, CA and delivered in Stockton, CA (0 miles empty and 59 miles loaded). There not being much else, I accepted it. I drove to the Shipper, picked up the load (it was a ‘live’ load) and departed Hayward at 1730. I drove to our Terminal in Lathrop, fueled, walked the MMM, and drove to the Consignee in Stockton. I arrived at 1945 and did the drop/hook delivery. There was no other freight available, so I settled in for the night. I recieved an additional $40.00 because of the lack of freight, and accepting the ’short’ run. I drove 117 miles in 2.5 hours and worked a total of 4.25 hours. Not a good way to start the 70-hour ‘driving cycle’.
On the 30th, I recieved a Pre-plan which picked up in Stockton and delivered in Fontana (0 miles empty and 380 miles loaded). I accepted it and drove to the Shipper. I arrived at 1100. It was a ‘live’ load. At 1230, I left Stockton and drove to Bakersfield, CA (where I mis-spent my youth). This time I did have time to stop. Earlier, I had made arrangements to meet Debbie, an old girlfriend/friend, for dinner at Bill Lee’s.
We met there at 1800. We had a nice dinner and visit. After dinner, I went to Dewars Ice Cream Shop and picked up some of that delicious taffy.
I then drove to Fontana where I stopped for the night. I worked 8.75 hours driving 388 miles in 8 hours. Still seem to be just spinning my wheels. I thought this was the Christmas rush for freight, but you couldn’t prove it by the loads I’ve been getting since Thanksgiving.
On Dec, 1st, I delivered the load at 1145. I spent the night at Cowboy’s Restaurant about a mile from the Consignee. I has good food despite being a “fast-food” joint. For instance, for breakfast you get eggs cooked to order, (not that plastic consistancy ‘egg like substance’ served at McDonald’s or Burger King), actual bacon (not that bacon like meat substance that, if it was sliced any thinner, would only have 1 side) , and real hash browns (not pre-processed potato-like patties or, worse yet, nuggets). They provide truck parking for their customers.
Powered by WordPress with Pool theme design by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
Valid XHTML and CSS. ^Top^
Copyright 2006-2009 Ernie Wood